Juan Perón

Juan Domingo Perón (UK: /pɛˈrɒn/, US: /pɛˈroʊn, pəˈ-, peɪˈ-/ ^ⓘ, Spanish: [ˈxwan doˈmiŋɡo peˈɾon] ^ⓘ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and politician who was the 29th and 40th president of Argentina, serving from 1946 to his overthrow in 1955, and from 1973 to 1974. He was the only Argentine president elected three times and holds the highest percentage of votes in clean elections. Perón was one of the most important, and controversial, Argentine politicians of the 20th century; his influence extends to today. Perón's ideas, policies and movement are known as Peronism, which continues to be a force in Argentine politics.

In 1911, Perón entered military college, and rose through the ranks. In 1930, Perón supported the coup against President Hipólito Yrigoyen, a decision he regretted. Between 1939 and 1941, Perón served as a military attaché in Mussolini’s Italy. During this travel, Perón developed many of his ideas. Perón participated in the 1943 revolution and became Minister of Labor, then Minister of War and Vice President. He became known for adopting labor right reforms. Political disputes forced him to resign in October 1945 and he was arrested. On 17 October, workers gathered in the Plaza de Mayo to demand his release. Perón's surge in popularity helped him win the 1946 election.

Perón's administration was influential for initiating industrialization, expanding social rights, and making university tuition-free. Alongside his wife, Eva Duarte (Evita), the government granted women the right to vote, built half a million houses, and provided charity, especially to children, and became immensely popular among the working class. It also employed controversial tactics: dissidents were fired from their jobs, arrested or exiled, and the press was controlled. Several high-profile Nazi war criminals found refuge in Argentina. Perón was re-elected by a landslide in 1951, though his second term (1952–55) was troubled. Eva died soon after his inauguration. Religious tolerance and charity given by Eva's foundation (historically provided by the church) damaged his standing with the Catholic Church. After an attempt to sanction a divorce law and deporting two priests, he was mistakenly thought to have been excommunicated, and pro-Church elements of the armed forces bombed Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, in June 1955. 300 civilians were killed in this coup attempt, which prompted reprisals against churches by Perón supporters; a coup deposed him.

During the following military dictatorships, the Peronist party was outlawed and Perón exiled. He lived in Paraguay, Venezuela, Panama and Spain. When the Peronist Héctor José Cámpora was elected president in 1973, Perón returned amidst the Ezeiza massacre and elected president for a third time (October 1973–July 1974). Violence erupted between left- and right-wing Peronists, which Perón was unable to resolve. His minister José López Rega formed the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance, believed to have committed hundreds of extrajudicial killings. Perón's third wife, Isabel Perón, was elected vice president on his ticket, and succeeded him upon his death in 1974. She was ousted in 1976, and followed by even deadlier repression under the junta of Jorge Rafael Videla. Although controversial figures, Juan and Eva Perón are considered icons by supporters. The Peróns' followers praise their efforts to eliminate poverty and dignify labour, while detractors consider them demagogues and dictators. The Peróns gave their name to the political movement known as Peronism, which is represented mainly by the Justicialist Party.